Let’s get started — my entrepreneur story
Leaving a startup incubator to create my own company
First of all, let me go back to January 2015 which marked the start of my journey.
Right after I left BRKV (private investment company supporting and developing ventures) I decided to establish my own small business called Yolap. The idea was simple: bring together what I had learnt during my time in BRKV in terms of marketing, strategy and product development, find my own clients and develop websites and web applications collaborating with freelancers. Additionally, I would do a bit of market and product research for small and medium sized companies. The start was pretty good; I was working with my first clients and granting myself a small salary. Back then, it seemed like I knew how to successfully start a company and I felt strong in my ability to grow the business.
It’s strange to say but things were taken out of my hands the day Mauricio and I met to brainstorm and create the company we run today: Pop & Rest. Even though this is definitely one of the best things that has ever happened to me, the decision of joining the new venture put me in a very difficult position a year later. I had just started to run my first business while I was actually still working on a full-time basis as a market researcher for a big consultancy firm. Indeed, I took this corporate job in April 2015 because I had no money to start on my own. At that time, it seemed like a good opportunity to learn more about market research and management. However, my plan was to keep this position for just a couple of months in order to make a leap in Yolap at the end of summer. it happened this way! After “only” 6 months of intense work, I decided it was enough and therefore, the right time to quit the corporate world to join the startup world. Period. What a good feeling! These 6 months were so tiring and stressful having to juggle between two highly demanding jobs.
A good start in the startup world
I worked hard on my first client projects and at the same time, I was going to my first meetings with Mauricio. The idea of Pop & Rest is so amazing that I couldn’t just focus on Yolap, my first startup. I didn’t have a lot of money and I was really anxious about finding a new client but I kept thinking “man Pop & Rest is a concept in a lifetime”. I remember inviting Mauricio over to my place after work to brainstorm and map out what would be popnrest.com — a peer-to-peer Airbnb-style platform to rest, refresh and relax. We spent a few weekends working on the concept. During this period, it was great because I lived in a big flat on Stoke Newington High Street. It was the perfect place to work on all my projects. From September 2015 to January 2016, the vibe was awesome. I was very busy and paying myself a small salary; enough to cover my expenses. The main thing was that I was finally doing something I love on a daily basis! For some time I had a confident mindset and thought that I could run both startups. In hindsight I was too confident.
At some point around Christmas, I released that my biggest client wouldn’t renew our contract as fast as I had imagined he would do and I hadn’t signed a new client yet to support the cost of my wage in the company. A lot of my focus and time was spent on Pop & Rest and Mauricio and I were meeting more frequently. Damn… I was losing control of my expenses and soon I would not be able to afford my rent anymore. By February 2016, I had spent most of my money. However, I was sure of one thing: I had to give my full attention to Pop & Rest and lead this new venture with Mauricio. Let’s go, I have no fear!
Part 2: “Things break up” is now released! Click on this link to continue reading.
Yoann.
